The invention relates to fabrication management technology, and more particularly, to fabrication management methods and systems responding to engineering changes.
A conventional semiconductor factory typically includes the requisite fabrication tools to process semiconductor wafers under operations, such as photolithography, chemical-mechanical polishing, or chemical vapor deposition. During manufacturing, the semiconductor wafer passes through a series of process steps, which are performed by various fabrication tools. For example, in the production of an integrated semiconductor product, the semiconductor wafer passes through up to 600 process steps. Costs for such automated production are influenced to a great extent by the question as to how well and efficiently the manufacturing process can be monitored or controlled, so that the ratio of defect-free products to the overall number of products manufactured (i.e., yield ratio) achieves as great a value as possible.
Changes in process flow, operating recipes, or others, may improve yield during semiconductor manufacturing. These engineering changes are typically applied to specific wafer lots after confirmation from client operators. Conventionally, operators spend much time communicating various engineering changes to relevant clients, and even more time managing responses thereto. This labor-intensive management method severely hinders efficiency.